There's a study from 2012 linking social media usage to reduced academic performance and a lowered attention span [1]. A recent study has shown that excessive TikTok use in particular is linked to short-term memory deterioration [2]. I assume this is a somewhat trendy field of research in psychology, so you can likely find more studies, should you want to.
[1]: Paul, Baker et al (2012): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S07475...
[2]: Sha, Dong (2021): https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/16/8820
i also personally struggle a bit with older movies (80s/early 90s) because they tend to have a slower pace and i instinctively want to start multitasking every time there's a lull in the action. i actually watched die hard for the first time last night and found it kinda slow and boring despite it being one of the most iconic action movies of all time.
there may or may not be a scientific study to suggest it can happen (although i assume there is) but based on my own experiences i am 100% certain that it is happening.
Oh man! If you think that is slow, don't go further back in time...
But you want a taste of slow, here is some inspiration, courtesy of "Once Upon a Time in the West":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QML28YQBvyc
> and [I] instinctively want to start multitasking every time there's a lull in the action.
That's your cue for an attention problem right there. For the fun of it, try to notice in how many other situations you might have the same tendency to look for a "multitasking" distraction.
https://slimemoldtimemold.com/2023/07/24/your-mystery-have-a...
A good litterature survey, easy to follow. Better than reading one or two isolated studies, since it does ask the crucial question of "well what is (and how do you measure) attention span anyway?"
Less rigorous but similar conclusion in video if you prefer https://youtu.be/aDfeOvUZ7Kk?feature=shared
The best example is reading a book. I end up having to reread sentences and paragraphs frequently as my mind wanders from what the words are conveying. It takes a while to get into the groove of following the thread of the writing. Spending some time in a less stimulating environment like going camping, practicing meditation, or just 'unplugging' seems to be restorative to that ability to focus. Other people have shared similar experiences with me many times as this subject comes up.
Again, my experience, but this capacity for focus applies to many things beyond just reading a book, like tackling programming problems or having a deep and nuanced conversation, effectively communicating complex ideas and being able to receive the same.
Interestingly, he posits that the opposite is "information overload"; people who can't skim or skip things who are still exposed to too much input and break down for it. Of course, I want to believe this is a choice, you can turn off your phone and notifications, set up a system of critical notifications that cannot wait (which when you think about it is very little, or it's another person who has a problem with needing quick replies).
See, eg, https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/cellphones-in-theatres...
In any case, if watching a movie is the counterexample it is probably in the category of "damning with faint evidence". This is still passive media which carries on whether or not the watcher is attending. Reading a book for an hour or two is different, because the pages don't turn themselves.
People in a position to notice changes in these capabilities have noticed them.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/11/the-eli...
You mean, you can't notice that pages of a book don't turn themselves if you don't read books? ;-)